Title favorite, crowd favorite start duel Asi, Hubalde tow Beermen past Thais
Game tomorrow (Ynares Sports Arena) 4 p.m. – San Miguel Beermen vs Saigon Heat
Asi Taulava and Paolo Hubalde anchored a searing fourth quarter as a Chris Banchero-less San Miguel Beermen trounced Sports Rev Thailand Slammers, 78-70, to storm to their 11th straight win in the Asean Basketball League Wednesday night at Nimibutr Stadium in Thailand.
Taulava, playing as if he were half his age of 40, followed up a 26-point performance with a game-high production of 18, spiking his heroics with 11 markers in the payoff period that helped the Beermen wipe out a seven-point deficit and run away with their 14th triumph against three losses.
Guard Paolo Hubalde also stepped up in the absence of ace gunner Banchero, firing 11 of his 14 points in the fourth in an outstanding play that complemented Taulava (also with six assists and five rebounds) and MVP Leo Avenido, who shot 15.
“(It was an) Ugly road win but we’ll take it. Streak is alive!” said San Miguel Beer team official Noli Eala, giving particular credit to Taulava’s “vintage performance” and Hubalde’s “leadership” filling in Banchero’s shoes.
Enjoying a resurgence of sorts, Taulava is averaging 19.3 points, 5.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists in his last four games and making 51 percent of his shots.
The Beermen looked ready to blow away the Slammers when they got off to an 11-2 start en route to a 28-12 upperhand at the end of the opening canto.
But the Slammers crept their way back into the game and held SMB to only eight points in the second period to stay within 33-36 at the halfway point. The home team kept the pressure after the break and eventually overtook the Beermen and seized a seven-point cushion going to the final 10 minutes.
Game today (Smart Araneta Coliseum) 6:45 p.m. – Talk n Text vs Ginebra
Talk N Text versus Ginebra San Miguel Ð the three-peat king against the people’s champ in a dream matchup.
The Tropang Texters are the oddson picks while the Gin Kings are the sentimental favorites as they clash in the opener of their PBA Commissioner’s Cup best-of-five semifinal showdown at the Smart Araneta Coliseum tonight.
The Texters and the Kings make up one side of the elite, interesting Final Four series, with the other pitting eliminationround topnotcher Alaska Milk and titleholder San Mig Coffee.
Both faceoffs abound with subplots making each series a must-see for the PBA fans.
The Alaska- San Mig Coff e e showdown, featuring the Aces against former coach Tim Cone, starts tomorrow also at the Big Dome.
A curious side battle here is that of coaches Norman Black and Alfrancis Chua, former partners with Sta. Lucia Realty who’ve gone separate ways.
Black is looking to lead the Texters to a second straight finals while Chua hopes to keep his Cinderella ride with the Kings.
“We recognized Ginebra as a dangerous opponent. With their solid play and the crowd support, we expect them to be tough,” said Black.
“(Vernon) Macklin and LA (Tenorio) will be major headaches but we will also not take the others for granted because their support cast has been playing well,” Black added. “For us, major concerns will be our defensive rebounds and keeping (Jerome) Jordan out of foul trouble.”
“The guys trust one another. Even then, we have to double the energy and heart that we showed against Rain or Shine to beat Talk n Text,” said Chua.
“They’re tall, quick and can shoot from the outside but we know their game, and we intend to stop their bread-andbutter plays Ð pick and roll, pick and pop,” Chua also said.
The Kings still have manpower problem minus main guy Mark Caguioa and forward Billy Mamaril. Caguioa’s status remains day-to-day as he’s still nursing an injured MCL (medial collateral ligament).